Candida auris, an emerging multidrug resistant fungus that can cause invasive infections with high mortality, has been associated with outbreaks in healthcare settings. C. auris was first described in 2009, after being isolated from external ear canal discharge of a patient in Japan. Since then, reports of C. auris infections, including bloodstream infections, have been noted from over a dozen countries—and it has now been found in the United States. As of July 14, 2017, 98 cases have been reported to CDC.

The emergence of C. auris raises several serious concerns for public health. First, many isolates are multidrug-resistant, with some strains having elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations to drugs in all three major classes of antifungal medications, a feature not found in other clinically relevant Candida species. Second, C. auris is challenging to identify, requiring specialized methods like MALDI-TOF or ribosomal DNA sequencing. When using common biochemical methods such as analytical profile index strips or the VITEK 2, C. auris is often misidentified as other yeasts (most commonly Candida haemulonii, but also Candida famata, Rhodotorula glutinis). Finally, C. auris has caused outbreaks in health care settings, spreading from patient to patient, and contaminating healthcare environments. During this COCA call, clinicians will learn about the updated identification, treatment, and infection control recommendtions for C. auris.

At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to accomplish the following:

Describe the epidemiology of C. auris.

Explain the guidance for diagnosis and treatment of C. auris.

Explain the infection control recommendations for containing C. auris.